Adrian
Pasdar began his acting career in the movie Top Gun, when
he was cast as Chipper alongside Tom Cruise, Anthony Edwards
and Val Kilmer. He's also starred in Secondhand Lions
with Michael Caine and Carlito's Way, opposite Al Pacino
and Sean Penn. On the small screen Pasdar has guest-starred
on The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits, as
well as having
recurring roles on Desperate
Housewives
and Touched
by an Angel.
He has also written and directed a short film titled Beyond
Belief
and directed the feature film Cement,
starring Chris Penn. He
currently stars in NBC's Heroes
as Nathan Petrelli, a
man
who is running for political office and trying to keep
his secret power hidden from the public. Review Graveyard
caught up with Pasdar as Heroes
was about to start broadcasting on the Sci-Fi Channel...

ReviewGraveyard: How
do you feel about Nathan? There seems to be some underlying
ambiguity about his character?

Adrian
Pasdar: It's close to playing a Richard III-type character
but in a modern dimension. All I need is a physical kind of
abnormality to befall me, like hump or a limp then I would
have a really Shakespearean experience!

I don't think he is necessarily concerned whether he is good
or bad. I do think that there is a dark side that has to be
dealt with, but the people who think they are good will probably
turn out the other way on this show.

It
wouldn't do me any good to speculate as to how I'm going to
end up. I think there is both good and bad in this character
which is interesting to play.

I am as much a fan who is along for the ride as the public
are with this character and where he ultimately is going to
go.

RG:
Would you agree that your character is defined more by his
relationships than his superhero power?

AP:
Yes, I find these relationship dynamics are more interesting
to play than the perceived super power - they have written
that very well. The relationships that I share with my mum,
with Peter (Milo
Ventimiglia), with my wife and with Niki [Ali
Larter], all those elements are angling together
toward defining who Nathan Petrelli is to himself and his
potential constituency. Ultimately, when you're in the game
of politics and you're a man like Nathan Petrelli, there is
only one seat that you want and that's behind a desk in the
Oval Office.

As
we take this journey, we may find ourselves in the White House
and that should make these relationships even more interesting.

RG:
Were you excited by the prospect of flying in the show?

AP:
Yes, although I was a little hesitant in the beginning. I
was excited to read about the character's power but, when
they describe the stunts in the scripts, you worry that it's
going to look cheesy.

However,
after seeing what the special effects team has been able to
pull off every episode, it's really exciting because they
take it to the next level. I know that they're going to do
something that I can't even imagine. It's really fun to be
a part of that. They write it with the enthusiasm of a child
which is the best thing that you can have in this business.

RG:
Has anything happened to you to make you think this show is
going to be a real phenomenon?

AP:
Yes, it's the water cooler conversations, which are certainly
a measure of success. There's a real sense of involvement
in the American culture with this series.
At this point we're happy to be able to contribute in a positive
way. It is a positive show about people being confronted with
an extraordinary situation and how they deal with it.

People don't tend to recognise me yet. I've had conversations
with people about the show and then I'll see them realise
that I am in it. It's really fun to hear people talk about
what might be coming up, what's happened and who is going
where, it's fun to be a part of that.

RG:
What has surprised you the most during production?

AP:
The biggest surprise is that it's all gone off without a hitch.
Everything has gone according to plan. The plan was to deliver
a quality television programme with excellent special effects
and well drawn characters. Those three goals have been met
but you can never predict what the audience is going to like.
All you can do is deliver your best and I think everybody
here has realised the potential of this story and they have
done their best to achieve this result.

RG:
Finally, were you a comic book fan when growing up?

AP:
My favourite was the Silver Surfer when I was growing up.
He didn't really have many super powers other than surfing
around on his board, certainly not as many as other superheroes.
But I really like the philosophy behind him, he travels fast
and he travels alone. That always appealed to me as a kid.

RG:
Thank you for your time.

With
thanks to Julie Warmington at Holler

Heroes
will begin broadcasting on the Sci-Fi Channel
from February 2007.